Adjustable propeller-blade and means for controlling the same.



W. G. MURRAY:

ADJUSTABLE PROPELLER BLADE AND MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.11, 191'0. RENEWED DBO. 1a, 1912.

1,053,060. I Patented Feb.11, 1913.

w. e. MURRAY.

ADJUSTABLE PBOPELLER BLADE AND MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME.

APPLIGATION FILED MAB.11, 1910. BLNEWED DBO. 1B, 1912,

1,053,060. Patented Feb. 11', 1913.

\4 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

"UNTTEE STATE% PATENT FFTQE.

WILLIS GRANT MURRAY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR '10 MURRAY AIBSHIP COMPANY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF ARIZONA.

ADJUSTABLE PROPELLER-BLADE AND MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11, 1913.

Application filed March 11, 1910, Serial No. 548,584. Renewed December 18, 1912. Serial No. 737,570.

T 0 all whom??? mag concern: Be it known that I, \VILLrs GRANT MUR- RAY, citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable PropellerBlades and Means for Controlling the Same, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to propelling mechanism for aeroplanes, dirigibles and the like, and it concerns particularly means for adjusting the propeller blades to different angles, and to means of adjustment of the propeller into a position for driving forward or into aposition for lifting the airship, in the'formcr case the propeller blades being adjusted at one angle in relation to the axis of the propeller, and in the second case said blades being adjusted at a lower angle in relation to the said axis.

The invention consists in the features of construction and combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly set forth in the claims.

ln'the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of the propeller and associated mechanism in. the position adapted for lifting the aeroplane or airship; Fig. 2 is a detail view; Fig. 3 is a detail view of the driving gears for the propeller shaft and the supporting connection; Fig. 1- is a detail view substantially along the line 4- 1 of Fig. 3. p In thesedrawings, the propeller shaft 1 is mounted in bearings 2 at separated points, the said bearings being connected by hangers 3 with a torsion rod 4, the forward end of said rod being connected by a curved bracket or steady rest- 5 with the drive shaft 6 upon which said bracket is pivotally hung. The shaft (3 carries a driving gear 7 mesh ing with the gear 8 on the propeller shaft.

The propeller blades are shown at- 9, these being shown in the drawings as two in number, but not limited to any particular number, and they are pivoted at 10 to a block 11 fixed on the propeller shaft. The blades are connectedby links 12 with a sliding block 13 within the hollow propeller shaft,

the said block being connected by a rod 14' with a pin or roller 15 located in a cam groove 16 formed in the hanger or bracket 17, which also serves as a support for the shaft 6. With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1, the propeller shaft is the tically disposed, and in this position revolution of the propeller will have a lift ing effect on the aeroplane or airship. The propeller blades in this position are practically at the limit of their approach to each other, and each is at a comparatively low angle to the general horizontal plane in which they are working. In order to adjust the propeller mechanism for driving the airship forward, ,the propeller shaft, together with the steady rest and torsion rod, is adjusted about the shaft 6 as a pivot, so that the said shaft will lie at right angles to the position shown in Fig. 1, and ing to the right of said figure. In the movement of adjusting the propeller shaft from the vertical position shown to the horizontal position just stated, the pin or roller 15 will move in the cam'groove 16, which is of such form as to draw the roller 15 inwardly, toward the shaft 6, and the rod 14 being thus drawn upon, will, through the links 12, their pivots 10, and separate them at a greater distance from each other than shown in Fig. 1, so that they will be presented at greater angles ship forward with the greatest efliciency. The pins or rollers 15 are carried by a forked or yoke member 17' connected with the rod 14, and the pins engage the grooves formed in the inner faces of the cam member, which, as shown in Fig. 3, is of fork or yoke form, and by this yoked or forked construction of the parts space is left for the pivoting of the steady rest or bracket 5 on the shaft 6. One of the bearings of the propeller shaft is connected by a yoke 18 with bosses 19 extending "from the brackets 17 of the frame, the said yoke turning on vthe said bosses in the adjustment of the propeller shaft from one position to another.

It will be seen from the above that the propeller blades are automatically adjusted to suit the necessary conditions of work. When the propeller shaft is adjusted from one position to another, such, for instance, as from a horizontal position for driving to a vertical position for lifting, the adjustment of the blades takes place as a result of the adjustment of the propeller shaft as a whole, and requires no separate attention on, the part of the navigator.

turn the propeller blades about extendto the air for driving the .I do not limit myself to the detail features of construction above described, as these may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention.

It will be understood that while I show an arrangement in which the propeller blades are adjusted as a result of swinging thepropeller shaft from one position to another, I do not limit myself in this respect,

as hand operated connections may be em-- ployed by which the propeller blades may be adjusted whatever the position ofth'e shaft may be, this adjustment for the pro- .peller blades being thus independent of the adjustment of the shaft so that the navigator, wit-h the shaft remaining in one posi-.

tion, may adjust the blades as may be desired. Some of the features herein shown relating to the means for operating the propellerare made the subject matter of another application filed by me March 11, 1910, #548,583, for adjustable and reversible propellers.

I claim as my invention 1. In combination in apparatus of the class described, a propeller shaft carrying a propeller blade, means for driving the propeller shaft, said propeller shaft being adjustable to different angular positions, and means for automatically changing the angular relation of the propeller blade in accordance with the adjustment of the propeller shaft, substantially as described.

2. In combination a'propeller shaft, a plurality ofblades pivotally mounted thereon, a pivotal support for the propeller shaft, driving means for the propeller shaft, 3. connection to the pivoted blades, and means for automatically operating the said connection as the propeller shaft is turned to different angular positions for adjusting the angular scribed.

relation of the propeller blades, substantially asdescribed.

3. In combination a propeller, a shaft pivotally mounted, a stationary cam, and a connection from said cam to the propeller blade for changing the angular relation thereof as the propeller shaft is turned in the different positions, substantially as de- 4. In combination with a propeller blade, a shaft pivotally mounted, a driven gear on the shaft, a driving gear meshing therewith,

a shaft at right angles to the propeller shaft and carrying the driving gear, a bracket for pivotally mounting the propeller shaft on the said driving shaft, a stationary cam adjacent the drive shaft, and a rod extending from said cam through the center of the propeller blade shifting the same into different angular positions, substantially 'as described.

5. In combination a propeller shaft, a drive shaft at right angles thereto, bevel gearing between the said shafts, bearings for the propeller shaft, a bracket or steady rest pivotally mounted on the drive shaft and connected with the bearing of the propeller shaft, a' forked member embracing the end of the steady rest and having cam grooves on its inner faces, a. rod extendlng 

